Why didn’t they back Ed?

The candidates were arranged randomly, not by height, I'm told. (Jimmy Vielkind / Times Union)

Some eyebrows were raised when all three men vying for the Republican nomination to run against Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said that Ed Cox has not done a good job as chairman of the New York Republican Party during a debate last night.

As the debate ended, a Republican close to Cox e-mailed me an explanation. Blakeman is the party’s official designee, having won the support of more than half the delegates at the state convention.

“As a Mondello acolyte, however, it’s no surprise that Mr. Blakeman was unwilling to defend Ed Cox or offer up kind words about the chairman in public,” the Cox ally wrote. “As far as Malpass and DioGuardi are concerned, it’s no surprise they’re both upset at Chairman Cox’s backing of Blakeman, though the mature reaction would entail the two of them understanding the position Cox is in, give that Blakeman is the party’s designee.”